Innocence
by Ole.we
Summary: Rough times for Riverdale: Seeked home by a serial killer, the town changes completely. Jughead is now visiting southside-high and keeps in touch with the serpents. Veronica struggles with her parents daily problems and Archie suffers from Blackhood's attack on his dad. Betty has problems on a different level...
1. Chapter 1

The man with the black mask had uncovered our town's real identity. The once innocent seeming small valley had changed into a place soaked by cruelty and mistrust.

The shooting in the pop's had only been the beginning of Riverdale's darkest chapter, that was about to develop into much more than just this.

Riverdale the town with pep had turned its side into the home of a serial killer, seeking for its next victim. Seeking for the next sinner hidden in Riverdale's dark, swallowing shadows.

Who would be the next one to lose their mask? Their life?

* * *

"Betty!" Veronica's gaze voice interrupted Betty from staring into the nowhere while stirring the vanilla milkshake in front of her.

"What's wrong? You seem distracted." She then asked, lowering her voice again.  
"Nothing, I'm fine. Just didn't sleep much, that's it." Betty answered, focusing on Veronica again.

"If you say so." Veronica meant, continuing. "I was just asking you if you have heard anything from Jug."

"Um, I…No, not much lately." Betty admitted. "But we can't resent that. I mean his dad is imprisoned and he's at this completely different new school now. He probably will need his time to get used to the new circumstances."

"Mmh." Veronica murmured, slurping out of her straw. "Don't get me wrong now but I'm just a little worried that he might make the wrong friends. Meet the wrong people, drift away from us, you know?"

"I know but that's not our point anymore. We can barely stipulate him who to interact with, he knows my opinion on the serpents and the ghoulies. Both have their bad sides, and both can be dangerous. He promised me he would not become a serpent like his dad did."

"Do you believe him?"

"I _have_ to. He's my boyfriend and I love him. I want him to be safe and make the right choices, but I cannot prevent him from making the wrong ones. I've never been to this school, none of us knows what it really is like."

* * *

Jughead pulled his woolen head deeper into his face, staring at the ground while making his way through the overcrowded hallways, filled with voices and smokes.

This was the complete opposite of his old school and all he knew yet was that what they were saying on the north side had its true parts.

Here, in the south side high, there was a lot of Jingle-Jangle and just as many gangs.

But his dad came from here, his dad who had been the serpent's leader.

Jughead hadn't counted how many times Betty had reminded him of having different options than going to this school.

She had said he wasn't forced to become a serpent because his dad had been one and how she knew he would make the right choices. He had given her his promise not to do so.

Now that Jughead had spent one week here, he wasn't sure if giving promises was always a good idea.

* * *

He entered the cafeteria, passing by the table the ghoulies were sitting at, staring at him, and sat down on the edge of the next one next to the girl with the long brown curly hair. Toni.

The snake on her jacket was visible from the other end of the cafeteria and if she didn't wear that jacket, she still had the tattoo on her upper arm which mostly had the same effect.

"Jones." Sweet peas sharp voice broke the silent glances between them.

"So, you finally found the time to show up too, huh? Tall boy wants to see you this evening. Whyte wyrm. Better be there in time then!"

Watching sweet pea go back to his conversation, Jughead whispered to Toni: "What does he want?"

"I think you don't have to ask." She answers just as silent. "There's a reason he gave you the jacket and you knew that from the moment you took it."


	2. Chapter 2

"They caught the sugar man, say the rumors." Hermione Lodge's voice was quiet but clear.

"I heard." Hiram mumbled.

If Veronica hadn't been standing behind the door, she would have seen how his eyes were filled with nothing but pure anger in that moment.

"Rough times in this business." Hermione sighed.

"The last time the trouble passed too."

"He killed him, but it still came out, Hiram."

"If this jerk had been more careful, there'd be nothing we had to care about right now!"

"Lower your voice, Veronica is upstairs."

"We need to change the location. They find him, they find the location." He meant quiet again.

"Well. We don't have time."

"I'll fasten it. They do what I want them to and nothing but this." Hiram said, clenching his fist. "He did _that_ too."

* * *

"Hello." Veronica shouted as if she had just walked downstairs and stepped in a couple of seconds later, finding her parents in the salon drinking wine.

"Hey, Vronnie. Are you going out tonight?" Hiram Lodge asked, conspicuously interested.

"I told you I was meeting at pop's with Archie, Betty and Kevin, didn't I?"

"Oh, yes. Of course. Your mother and I were anyway talking business stuff, so have fun." He meant, watching his daughter leave.

* * *

On her ride to the pop's Veronica's thoughts kept circling around what her dad had said.

She hadn't really understood what he meant because he hadn't used any names which was confusing.

But what she had understood was that the talk had been about drugs and somebody who got killed.

All Veronica knew was that whenever the word 'kill' had been mentioned in Riverdale in the past months, it had been about either Jason Blossom or Blackhood.

None of this was good. Her dad was involved in something. Something bad.

Veronica felt her palms start to sweat a little while she was grabbing the steering wheel tight. She had to keep calm now.

* * *

"The pop's isn't the same without Jughead." Kevin meant. "I just hope we won't have to get used to this."

"I said he would take his time, you know him." Betty said. "He won't forget about us just because he's changed the school."

"The side." Kevin mumbled.

"Kevin." Archie sighed. "This all upsetting enough for Betty without you dramatizing it. Jughead won't make the same mistakes as his father did."

"Hope so." Betty murmured.

"By the way, I met somebody. Maybe the wrong moment?" Kevin added.

"Who?" Betty was totally back in topic again.

"This guy from the southside. He's stunning."

"Huh? Southside?" Betty smiled. "And you are worried about my boyfriend becoming a serpent while you're dating one?"

"Making out with one."

"Results in the same." Archie joked, punching his side. "Is it something serious?"

"Not yet but I believe it could really develop into something more than just making out, you know?"

"You'd deserve it, Kev." Betty said smiling brightly.

Passing their conversation on to Kevin and Betty who were now talking about how the boy had the most fascinating eyes Kevin had ever looked into, Archie's hand reached for Veronica's hip, tapping her.

* * *

"Hey. What's wrong? You've barely said something today."

"It's nothing serious, probably." Veronica meant, although she knew that none of the persons around the table believed her.

"I listened to this conversation between my parents and heard some stuff I wish I wouldn't have heard." She added.

"You wanna talk about it? What stuff, V?" Betty asked, now raising her eyebrows worriedly not knowing what to expect.

"I don't know, not everything made sense to me, but I clearly heard that her was angry about the sugar man having been caught this morning and how it would have a bad impact on his business.

He said something like they'll do what he tells them too because he did _that_ too."

"That?" Kevin asked carefully.

"They were talking about somebody having been killed somebody. I guess that what he meant.

I'm just thinking that this person was probably Jason and my dad seems to be involved in drug deals and he might have made somebody kill him and…"

"Ronnie." Archie interrupted her.

"What if my dad is a murderer, Archie?" Veronica asked in a desperate voice.

"Maybe you got that wrong." Betty meant hopefully.

"He has been to prison once already and I don't know what he's capable of anymore. If that is true and he deals drugs, then he's been lying to me from the day he came back. Ever since! I don't know how I'm supposed to look into his eyes!"

Archie said nothing but wrapped his arm around her neck and Veronica's head sank down on his shoulder.

She hid her face in his jacket's flannel but still Archie know Veronica didn't want them to see that some tears were rolling down her cheeks. He slowly stroked her back.

"It's gonna be okay." He mumbled. "It's gonna be okay."

* * *

"Jones." Tallboy considered Jughead from his feet to his woolen head. "We have to know something."

"If I'm on your side?"

"You're a clever boy, Jughead, just like your father. When I offered you the serpent jacket, why did you take it?"

A moment of silence, all the glances in the room wandering to Jughead.

"Because that's what my dad would have done."

"Your dad became a serpent and not just any, but our leader. What you as his son do, has an impact, Jughead. But you cannot be half a serpent.

That's what you have to be with all your heart. Any serpent would die to save one another. What would you?"

Jughead stared at Tall boy, stared at the man who had never given up on his dad even when he himself had.

Stared at the man, while in his head he heard Betty ask him for his promise.

Betty. The girl who had made him know that he, Jughead Jones, could love somebody more than he had ever imagined and there he stood.

Seeing his father in the jail, seeing the desperation in his eyes. Hearing the mayor accuse him of murder. Feeling all of the glances on the floors the next morning again and all of the anger that was now starting to increase inside of him.

Jughead clenched his fist.

"I _am_ a serpent. Just like my dad is."

The words speeded out of Jugheads mouth as if he had no control about them anymore. "Whatever needs to be done, I'll do it."


	3. Chapter 3

Some people would say the morning was still innocent. The sun had just started to rise, and the foggy air was swirling around the houses in Riverdale.

It was the time, the postman left his house and started delivering the newspapers and letters. At this time, only one window in the entire streets was lightened.

A girl with dark black hair leaned against it, staring out of the window and watching the old postman drive his man down the street.

The tone of her phone broke the silence and that was the moment, the girl knew that the morning's innocence was just as pretending as all of the other people in this town.

* * *

Veronica hadn't been able to sleep all night. She had stood at the window for a while when her phone suddenly rang.

"Betty?" Veronica asked wondering.

"Sorry for waking you up but something happened."

"You didn't but wait…What? Are you okay?"

" _I am…_ but Blackhood seems to have struck again."

"He…He struck again? Did somebody get killed? Who is it? Wait, are you calling me because it's Archie? Is it Archie?"

Betty interrupted Veronica.

"No, no it's not Archie. It's Ethel."

"Is she…?"

"I heard she was delivered to hospital but in a really critical state. They…they said they weren't sure if she'd make it."

"But what happened?"

"She was walking home from a friend's. It was around two when neighbors heard a shot. One of her neighbors ran out of his house. He later said he saw ablack masked person with a gun disappearing."

"Uh. What did she do? Why her?"

"I don't know, Ronnie. I wish I did. It seems as if Blackhood randomly attacks people."

"Betty?"

"What?"

"Fred Andrews was my dad's business partner and Ethel is my dad's business partner's daughter. What if none of this happens randomly?"

"You mean…You mean your dad is the connection between Ethel and Fred?"

"I don't know what I mean. I'm just tired and messed up but all I'm saying is that it could be possible. One year ago, we would have never thought of anything out of all this being able to happen, but it did."

"The fact is that there's a murderer out there and nobody knows what he's capable of anymore."

"Betty, what are we going to do? We can not just sit around at home and let him do his killing and be afraid and talk about how my dad could be somehow interconnected with all of this."

"We cannot do anything. All we would achieve is making him want to kill us too."

"But we have to do something!"

"And what?"

"Your mom is a reporter, you're working for the blue and gold, my dad is Hiram Lodge and your boyfriend visits southside high. We have contacts on every side, Betty."

"I am not gonna go and hunt some crazy gone guy with his gun!"

"I'm not talking about hunting. Maybe we can find Blackhood without leaving the house. Maybe all we have to do is think. Nobody is shooting people masked without an intention and he's only human. He must have made a mistake."

"You mean we should try to reveal his identity?"

"No trying. Doing so. Sometimes you don't have an option. Ethel won't be the last one to be shot if nobody does something and that's simply the case in this town!"

* * *

 _ **3 hours earlier**_

"You sure you want this?" Tony's voice broke the silence that was only filled with the sound of their feed on the gravel.

"That's not about wanting, I guess." Jughead meant, lifting his head.

"It's because I feel responsible for it. I feel like I should do this. My dad would have done that too."

"I have never heard you say so many sentences in a row."

"Mmh." Jughead smiled. "What will I have to do?"

"I'm actually not allowed to tell you but it's three parts. First one is knowing our values. Secondly you have to do something an animal is involved in."  
"That sounds easy so far."

"Well, that's what I thought too. The third one is really rough."

"What is it?"

"Like I said, I cannot exactly tell you and honestly, I've already said too much but it's about resisting physical pain. "

"How hard was it?"

"I don't wanna frighten you or anything. It's not that it's unbearable or anything. But yes, it was kinda hard. Well, I guess you will get through it, if you _really_ want to become a serpent.

"Oh." Tony added. "I forgot to mention the fourth condition, but I guess you anyway know about that."

Undressing her jacket and pulling her tee's arm up, Toby made Jughead see the tattoo on her upper arm. A snake.

"Since it is permanent, it's a sign of being loyal." Tony meant.

Jughead knew what Betty would say if she saw this.

He knew he was about to break the promise, he had given to the girl he was so deeply in love with. But he couldn't do anything else. He had to.

* * *

The machine that was linked to her arms started to beep. Loud and louder, fast and faster.

The red lights on the floor shone brighter than ever before when the doctor passed by, running among them. As he opened the door, the girl sank back into the pillows from an epileptic fit all of sudden.

Before he checked on her breath, before he tried to reanimate her, the doctor knew that it was too late. His arms sank down from pushing her chest. He sank down.

In his studies, the twenty-five years old man had learned how to deal with patients dying, had told himself that he wasn't one of these softies that couldn't.

Now that the lifeless corpse lay in front of him and the other doctors ran into the room, just as fast as he had some minutes ago, he realized that death was not practicable.

"She didn't make it." He said, watching his colleagues check on her.

What he thought was "I didn't make it" although he knew that it wasn't his fault. He hadn't shot her.

* * *

 _ **I really hope you like the plot so far and would totally appreciate any kind of suggestion. I'd really like to adjust the plot to your imaginations! Please review if possible.**_

 _ **xoxo**_


	4. Chapter 4

„As your principal I'm consolable to tell you that our beloved class mate and friend Ethel Muggs died from her shooting wounds this morning in the hospital. Of course, we know that this might be a shock to all of you and we want you to know that social workers are here for you to our students and everybody's safety in this town, Riverdale's police leaded by Sheriff Keller is doing it's very best to find the man behind the mask. Today's lessons are declined."

Even through the audio boxes in the classroom it was clearly audible how Weatherbee's was just as shocked and sympathetically as all of the students in the room.

Through the rows, Betty's hand reached for Veronica's and held her tight, while the first students were already leaving.

"Her mom is all alone now." Veronica's voice was hoarse. "How is she supposed to deal with that?"

"I don't know." Betty answered, thinking how often she had been using this phrase lately.

"I can't believe she's gone. I mean I just talked to her the day before yesterday and now?"

Veronica sighed desperate. "How did she deserve this? How?" She had yet to realize what the words of the principal actually meant.

"She didn't, V. You were right last night. We _have to_ do something."

* * *

 _8 hours later:_

Tallboy built up in front of jughead who was surrounded by a crowd of multiple other serpents including Tony.

"WHAT IS THE SIXTH LAW?" Tallboy shouted right into Jughead's face.

"IN UNITY THERE'S STRENGTH!"

"WHAT IS THE FIRST LAW?"

"NO SERPENT IS LEFT FOR DEATH!"

"Well, every idiot can learn laws." Tallboy said, staring at him. "Now it's time for the next trial. Prove that you're courageous."

Indeed, Sweet Pea uncovered a cage behind Tallboy and as he stepped to the side, Jughead found himself right in front of a snake.

"Pull a tooth out." Tallboy's voice was calm as if he was just asking him to go and buy a bottle of milk or so.

Jughead reached into the cage, his hand shot into the reptile's mouth and before it could bite his hand, Jughead kept it's mouth open by widening it with his two fingers. He pulled the small bloody tooth out and held it up.

In that moment he could see pride on Tallboy's usually motionless face.

* * *

"He doesn't pick up." Betty's feet were dangling from Veronica's bed.

"Does that wonder you? Come on, you haven't talked to him on phone for one week."

"Maybe I should just drive over to his place. It's late, he'll be home probably."

"Playing card or what? Betty, that's the southside and not your grandma's hut."

"Stop, Ronnie, okay? I haven't seen my boyfriend for some time, not even talked to him and you making assumptions does not make me feel better anyway!"

"Um, I'm sorry. You're right, I…Maybe you should really driver over and see if he's there. But we should eat something before. You're not gonna drive around without having eaten all day."

"Okay."

* * *

The last punch of the third trial would have really given Jughead the rest but firstly he wasn't gonna show that to not satisfy Sweet Pea and secondly, he wasn't weak.

Jughead had kept standing all the way through the row of Serpents slapping, hitting and punching him and even though Sweet Pea had the hardest punch he had ever felt, Jughead didn't show any motions but swiped the blood of his nose, looked at Tallboy, straightened his jacket and said:

"I told you, I'd do everything."

The crowd around him burst out in a loud applause as Tallboy shook Jughead's bloody hand.

"You did. Welcome to the serpents."

Jughead looked at Toni and she smiled at him, nodding. He got it. Jughead Jones got it.

"When I met you the first time, I thought you'd be the least one to become a serpent. I was wondering how you could even be related to your dad."

"And now? What do you think now?"

"Now I know I was mistaken by judging you alike. You got better through the trials than most of the other guys, although they'd clearly never admit that."

Jughead and Toni were walking to his house through the park. Although it was dark already, none of the streetlights was turned on. Here, on the south side people didn't take it this serious with stuff like that.

Entering the garden in front of the Jones' house, Toni walked in front of Jughead. She could barely see anything in the darkness, not either the baseball that was laying on the path. Stepping on it, Toni slipped away and stumbled backwards.

Walking right behind her, Jughead fast reached for her wrist to prevent her from falling and pulled her back into a standing position without letting go of her.

"Hey, you okay?" He asked.

"Um...I don't know, I twisted my ankle because I didn't see that ball over there, I guess."

"Oh shit, I totally forgot about that." Jughead sighed. "Archie, my best friend, must have left it there. We've been playing baseball. I'm so sorry. Just lean on me and we'll check on your ankle inside."

"It's okay, I can walk on my own." Toni meant, wanting to be as independent as usually but starting to walk, she shrank in pain.

"Maybe…" She mumbled. "That leaning on you wasn't such as a bad suggestion."

* * *

"I'm there now." Betty meant.

"In the house?"

"No but I'm getting out of the car."

"Then stay on the phone until you're in."

"Oh."

"What?" Veronica wondered.

"I don't think, I should go there now."

"Wait, why?"

"He's walking across the garden with some girl in his arm."

"Betty, you cannot see that clearly from afar and in the dark, can you?"

"It's obvious V. I won't crash that now."

"Yes, you'll. You're his girlfriend."

"I…no…I'm gonna go back home I guess."

"Come on, Betty Cooper. You're not gonna give up as fast!"

"Well, obviously I will because my boyfriend is just entering his house with a girl in his arm which is by the way around her wrist and even in the darkness she is hot enough to be what she appears to be."

Betty hung up, leaving a confused Veronica on the other end of the phone and returned to her car. Driving away, Betty saw the house's door snap shut in the rear mirror.

* * *

"Okay, carefully. Sit down here." Jughead helped Toni onto his couch and turned the light on, watching her get rid of her shoe.

The ankle had almost swollen to double his size, not to mention that it had already turned blue and red.

"Oh." Jughead murmured. "That doesn't look good at all." Jughead picked an ice pack and placed it on her ankle. "I'm just going for bandage. I think we should have something in the bathroom." He meant.

"It's not that bad."

"Mmh." He said sarcastically, returning with a bandage in his hand. Jughead knelt down next to her.

"If you're okay with that, I'm gonna put that on? Tell me when I hurt you. I'm serious, tell me really."

Toni wasn't one to admit how much her foot was actually hurting, especially not after having seen Jughead go through the third trial so well.

Now that he was wrapping the bandage pretty tight around her ankle, she felt her eyes getting wet but looked down, so that he wouldn't see the single tears that were rolling down her cheeks.

"Finished." Jughead meant, considering it optimistically but by looking up in Toni's face his positivity turned into the opposite.

"No comment, please." Toni mumbled, swiping her tears away and forcing herself to smile.

"I was just gonna say that I'm not a person you have to fear crying in front of. It's okay to cry when you're not okay. It's okay not to be okay."

"I didn't know about your philosophical qualities, Jones."

"You know, when my mom left my dad, I did cry too. I cried when my dad got imprisoned and I also cried in my first sport lesson when some guy threw a ball right into my face."

"That's something totally different."

"All I wanna say is that everybody cries sometimes so stop hiding your face behind your hair and look at me. Toni, look at me."

Toni slowly turned her head to Jughead who was still knelling in front of her.

"How is it _really_?" He asked, referring to her ankle.

"I don't think it's broken but…it…does hurt." She finally said and this time she was honest.

"Do you need to see a doc?"

"No, no. I think we can wait till tomorrow and decide then."

"Okay. I'll get you a blanket. You can sleep here."

"Jughead?" Toni asked, holding him back.

"Yes?"

"Thank you."


End file.
